A New Life
by Dukerz
Summary: Set PostHiME unspecified amount of years, Nina's new family is rather... interesting, Mai's visit to Fuka again changes several lives, and the author is terrible at summaries. Kinda AU, HiME Otome crossover and whatnot. Definitely gonna be some NinaErstin
1. Reintroductions

**Disclaimer:**** I own nothing.

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**This is… a little weird, and you'll just have to bear with me, okay? I got the idea one night, and seriously could not stop thinking about it. Literally. I even had dreams about it. Finally, while I was supposed to be working on the scripting for the collaborative comic I'm working on, this burst out instead. I hope you enjoy the fruits of my hand spasms.**

* * *

A sheik black Audi pulled up to the gate. The driver's tinted window lowered revealing a large stern hand poised to punch in the entry code. The sleek silver keypad delivered an accepting beep along with a little flash of green light and the gates rolled open. As the window rolled up, the car pulled forward down the gleaming white driveway. Making its way around the centered fountain gushing an unnaturally clean blue water, the Audi rounded the curved driveway and rolled to a stop before a large white-stoned mansion.

From the backseat, a navy-haired girl with amber eyes bit her lip as she gazed up at the unfamiliar house. She clutched the worn avocado-colored suitcase that sat on her lap a little tighter. The driver drummed his fingers on the steering wheel fidgetingly and gave a heavy sigh. "So," he cleared his throat and spoke up. "Do you like it, Ni-na? It'll be your new home." He swiveled his head around and smiled at the girl. Nina blinked at the childish nickname and the goofy grin offered to her before returning her gaze to the castle-like building. Home...

"Yes, I like it, Officer Wang." The man ran his fingers through his messy hair and exhaled.

"You know, you don't have to call me that anymore. Sergay is fine. Or even..." His golden eyes smiled at her hopefully. "Father..." Nina's stomach churned at the thought.

"Yes, Father," she spoke dryly. At the orphanage, Sergay had visited nearly every week with the head of Child Services in their area, to make sure everything about the place was up to standards. Nina had lived at the orphanage for as long as she could remember, and Sergay's visits were the one thing that kept her going. He understood her better than anyone and she couldn't think of anyone she cared for more. When the orphanage was bought out and shut down, Sergay made sure every child at the orphanage either found a home, or was transferred to a new facility. Just when she was positively sure she would never see him again, it was announced that Sergay would adopt Nina, but she simply couldn't think of him as a father. He was always something a little more to her... But now, as everything began to change, she realized how little she knew about the one person she thought meant more to her than everything else.

_Like how he can afford this mansion on a police salary_, Nina thought.

"Ni-na?" She wretched herself back from her thoughts. Nina's eyes set on Sergay standing outside of the car, one hand on the opened door, the other offered to her. With the smallest suggestion of a smile, Nina took her new father's hand and swung her feet around to exit the vehicle.

* * *

Sergay shut the door behind his daughter and rattled the keys in his free hand, eyebrows furrowed in concentration. A man in a black suit and a cap began making his way towards him from the house. Sergay gave him a short nod and handed him the keys. The man glanced at Nina questioningly.

"Ah, yes, Takeda, this is my daughter, Nina. I've just adopted her." Takeda's eyebrows lifted and inspected Nina a bit longer. Uncomfortable with the way he was eyeing her, Sergay coughed to get his attention. Takeda whipped his head away and saluted Sergay.

"S-sorry, Sir. Oh, and," Takeda lowered his eyes a bit, "your wife called." _Shit_, Sergay thought. _I forgot to tell her about... _he glanced at Nina staring uncomfortably at the pavement. With one hand, she was clutching his and with the other, she was holding her suitcase tightly.

Returning his gaze to his chauffeur, Sergay composed himself. "Yes?"

"S-she said she would be arriving home in a little while and that she's sorry for being so late."

Sergay mulled over the words and struggled to think of a good way to mention Nina to her. He couldn't just say, "Oh yeah, Honey, I forgot to tell you, but I adopted a fifteen-year-old girl named Nina today."

"Right. Thank you, Takeda. And... the car..."

"Hm? Oh, right." Takeda saluted him again. "Yes, Sir." He yanked open the driver's seat door and lugged himself inside, started the car up and drove off to the back. Sergay sighed and tried to remember why he paid the man eleven dollars an hour. He turned to Nina and gave her hand a squeeze with a smile.

"Ni-na, do you need me to take your suitcase?" She shook her head without meeting his eyes.

"It's fine, Father."

Sergay nodded and headed up the steps to the house. He paused before opening the door, deliberating. He smiled nervously at Nina. "Forgive me, if things are a little weird for a while. This… this is all happening so fast. So," he pulled her into a hug, "please bear with me, Ni-na. As my daughter." Nina nodded into his chest and clutched his suit. Sergay broke the embrace and took a deep breath before opening one of the large French doors.

A grand mahogany staircase dominated most of the front entrance. It rose up gallantly and split off into four hallways separated by a grand ballroom. Downstairs and to the left was study which in itself broke off another hallway, and to the right was a gleaming kitchen. Sergay smiled at Nina's lit face, scanning the perimeter. A woman in a maid outfit stood at the foot of the stairs. She smiled warmly at the pair.

"Ni-na," Sergay gestured to the woman. "This is Aoi. She's our servant and maid." He cleared his throat and nodded at Aoi. "Please escort Nina to one of the guest rooms upstairs. She's to live there for now on. I'll, uh… I'll explain later." The small brunette raised her eyebrows questioningly but nodded.

"Yes, Sir." She smiled at Nina and gestured to the stairs. "Right this way, Miss." Sergay urged her forward silently and Nina slowly followed Aoi up the stairs. After watching the pair safely cross the ballroom, Sergay slumped forward with a sigh.

* * *

_I hate my job._

The singular thought purged through Natsuki's mind all day as she worked. Of course, as a designer for Ducati sports bikes, she ordinarily enjoyed her job very much, but today, three things had set her over the edge. One: her Ducati DRIII had broken down. Two: she left most of her model drafts at home, and three: one of her co-workers was at a funeral for some estranged family member who died, another was out sick, and she had to cover for both of them. Not to mention her boss was PMSing _particularly_ badly that day.

After being lectured about being "ill-prepared" from said PMSing boss, a meeting, fighting with a broken copy machine, another meeting, and even more unmentionable atrocities, Natsuki stared down a thick hunk of bound papers that was a proposal for a dual exhaust addition to a bike that she was supposed to "review thoroughly" and approve. She checked her desk clock. Still another couple hours until her shift was over and she could finally go home and relax with the one she loved.

_The one I love…_

Natsuki sighed and flipped open the proposal, skimming the first page. Yup. Just as she suspected. Excruciatingly tedious, but she had to read it. Lovely. Natsuki added it to the mental list of reasons why she should switch jobs. She drummed on the table and flipped the page, skimming through the second.

And then her pants started vibrating.

It took her less than a millisecond to react and pounce at the opportunity to escape her hell. She whipped the phone out of her pocket, not bothering to check the caller ID and answered it even before it had the chance to begin ringing.

"Hello?" she began, offering the sweetest voice she could muster to whoever it was that decided to save her from insanity.

A hesitant female voice came through. "Um, h-hi. I'm not sure that I have the right number…"

_Fuck! _Natsuki thought. _Just when I thought I was saved._

"Is Natsuki Kuga there?"

"It's me," she replied, allowing none of the hope that was restored by that last statement shine through. The voice on the other end brightened instantly, and all previous hesitation vanished.

"Natsuki? God, it's been so long. It's Mai." Natsuki leaned back in her chair, surprised.

"Mai? It's great to hear from you." But alas, that statement would have been true even if Michael Myers was on the other end, or even worse, a telemarketer.

Mai laughed politely. "You too. So do you still live in Fuka?"

Natsuki nodded before remembering that Mai couldn't actually see her. "Oh, uh, yeah.

Because of… you know who…"

Mai laughed more openly this time. "I heard all about it from Chie." Natsuki cringed at the thought of her non-traditional marriage becoming the common small talk amongst her former classmates and shuddered at what horrifying rumors Chie might have twisted it into.

"Well, yeah. So where are you living?"

"A bit of everywhere, actually. I work as a photographer for a magazine now, amongst other things, so I'm kind of everywhere."

"Sounds nice," Natsuki said. Actually, it really did compared to her current job and life. _How is it that Mai got the fun life?_

"It's actually really hectic."

"But to move around without being tied down. It really sounds like fun." An image of Shizuru worked its way into Natsuki's mind. _Shut up, _her conscience hissed. _Don't think like that._

Mai seemed to understand what she meant. "It gets a little lonely, though."

"But what about Mik--,"

"So guess where I am?" Mai cut off in a slightly firm voice. Natsuki was a little taken aback at the interruption. She was sure that Mai had finished speaking and that she'd heard Natsuki start. It wasn't like Mai to interrupt, unless… and if that was the case, it would be best to move on and not to press the issue.

Natsuki flicked her hair back with her hand and started again, "I don't know, where?"

"Remember that old diner I worked at in our first year high school? Linden Baum?"

Natsuki's green eyes flashed. "Mai, you're back in Fuka?"

Mai giggled softly. "I was actually wondering if you could join me here so we can catch up, you know, face to face." Natsuki flicked her eyes to her desk clock. Still several more hours until her work day was officially over.

"O…Kay. Yeah. I'll be there in a little while," she said, all the while thinking up a scheme on how to escape her mountains of work.

"Great! I'll see you then."

"Alright, see you then."

Natsuki folded her phone closed and racked her mind for en excuse to leave early, any excuse.

Then she got an idea.

An awful idea.

The Grinch got a wonderful, awful idea. Er, I mean Natsuki.

Natsuki yanked open a drawer and perused around through the clutter in search of a bottle of eye drops, but her eyes fell upon something else. Natsuki froze for a moment. Then she smiled gently at the photograph and pulled it out. A woman with soft brown hair and crimson eyes stared back at her. Her palm was to her chin, and her mouth made a tiny "o" shape as if she were blowing a kiss to the camera. A blue bikini strap was sliding off of one shoulder.

The bikini was all she wore.

Natsuki had been so embarrassed when she had received it. It was her eighteenth birthday and she was sure the only reason she'd been given it was to embarrass her. She wondered why she'd kept it so long, but mostly, she wondered what Shizuru was doing right now, right this moment.

_Probably sitting at home, sipping tea, waiting for me, _she thought dryly. Suddenly, she remembered Mai and how she'd probably be coming home late. Natsuki picked up her phone and dialed her home number. It range twice before sending her to the voicemail box.

_Strange…_ A familiar voice sounded out.

"Sorry, Natsuki and I aren't here right now, so leave a message and we'll get back to you." A click and then was beep were heard as if begging for Natsuki to comply. And Natsuki complied.

"It's me. A friend of mine came in from out of town and I'm meeting her tonight, so I'll probably be getting home late. Sorry. Thanks, Baby," she said, adding the last bit for sincerity. Clapping her phone shut once again, Natsuki turned her attention back to Shizuru's picture still in her hand. With a ghost of a smile, a real smile, imprinted on her face, Natsuki gently stroked along the contours of Shizuru's printed face with the very tips of her fingers.

Natsuki promptly pocketed the photo and began her search for eye drops again. _Stupid, stupid, stupid. Thinking about Shizuru at a time like this…_ Her hand soon clasped around a small bottle and she pulled it out. _Here it is…_ Natsuki popped open the bottle and squirted a few drops in each eye. Rubbing her eyes to make it look like she'd been crying, she mustered up all the sadness she could.

_Think dead puppies, _she thought and strode determinedly out of her office and over to her boss's. Natsuki knocked once on the door and headed inside, eyes red and glistening. A toad-like woman dressed in an obnoxiously yellow suit looked up from her desk. Natsuki gathered her sweetest, saddest voice ever.

"Excuse me, Miss, but it's so terrible, my do--," with a quick glance around the office, Natsuki paused. It was adorned with the tackiest knick knacks of cats she had ever seen.

_Oh God…_The woman's computer was even shaped like a purring cat. A cat clock hung on the wall, its eyes moving back and forth, its tail swinging in time with the second hand, mocking her. Natsuki realized that her heart-wrenching story of her dog being struck by a car would not wrench this lady's heart.

But that Grinch was so clever and so slick

He thought up a lie, and he thought it up quick. Crap, I mean Natsuki. And she's female.

_Damn cat people, _she thought and continued. "Miss, please, you have to understand, m-my, m-my poor little Shnookums…" Natsuki mentally gagged, "my Shnookums had a terrible accident. He was sitting on his kitty throne when he fell and injured his paw." Natsuki fell to her knees, feigning tears. "My Shnookums needs me! I should have never left him alone today with that evil, evil, dog lover!" Natsuki was now groveling on the floor.

Her boss's face melted into a strange configuration that resembled pity. "That's terrible!" she cried. "Go! Go to your Shnookums!" Natsuki nodded through her fake tears.

"Y-yes, Miss. I will." With that, she rose up, bowed to her superior, and left the office, grinning like an idiot that her boss had bought such a ridiculous story.

* * *

Erstin always thought her room was nice. Of course, compared to the other rooms in the house, hers was tiny and insignificant. The servants' corridor where she lived was ignored by anyone who lived in the main house, and any guest was ignorant of its existence. _She _wasn't even allowed to visit any of the rooms in the main house except to clean when no one was around. Her existence was to be ignored by her masters and to the guests, she didn't exist. She wasn't even sure that her masters knew of her existence. Still, she received a paycheck every week.

When she was younger, she was upset by being so ignored. She begged for attention from the other maids, but as she grew older and matured, she began to accept her quiet existence. Erstin didn't speak much. There were days when she never even spoke at all, not even to those who shared her living quarters. She would go about the day, cleaning unused rooms, avoiding any contact with other people. But in her room, she could be herself.

Her room was the only part of the house that was _hers. _It reminded her of her existence on those days that she forgot about it. To make sure it would always be hers, Erstin carved her name into the wall in small print beside her bed. She posted a large sign on the door to prove her ownership. In large lettering, it read "Erstin's Bedroom", and she always smiled when she saw it.

When Aoi, another maid in the house, found out what she'd carved into the wall and seen the sign, she scolded her for defacing the property. But Erstin was secretly happy for it. It meant that Aoi noticed her, someone noticed her. Besides, Aoi would never know why Erstin did those things in the first place, and she would never understand how it felt to be so small and unimportant. She was the head maid and servant and was allowed to go about the house as she pleased to serve her masters, even if guests were around. She was lucky.

At first, Erstin envied Aoi. But as she began to accept her insignificance, she realized that her place was behind the scenes, cleaning rooms without others knowing, and in her room where she was allowed to be free. But soon, she found a place she liked better than her own room.

There was a guest room in the main house that was rarely ever used, but every time Erstin went up to dust and sweep, she loved it. The walls were painted a meek yellow, and when the sun shone in through the two large windows, the whole room felt alive. A soft, four corner bed resided in the corner, and shelves of books aligned the walls. To Erstin, it was perfect. The more she went into the room, the more time she wanted to spend in it.

One day, while Erstin dusted the books, she came upon one that piqued her interest. She inspected the spine, read the title over and over. _Kissing in the Rain_, it read. Gathering all the courage she could muster, Erstin slowly, deliberately, pulled the book down from the shelf. Holding her treasure in her arms, she quickly looked about the room as if someone were to pop out of the corner and punish her. _Silly, _she thought. _No one will scold me for looking at a book. _Still, her heart raced at the small act of defiance.

Erstin clutched the book to her chest and sat down on the bed. She stared at it in her arms. _Kissing in the Rain._ She opened it and began to read. After a moment or two, she lay back onto the bed, absorbing herself into the book, busy eyes soon lulled by the eminent power of comfortable sleep.

And then she fell asleep.

* * *

"Are you sure you have to go now?" Mai pushed again. Natsuki nodded, checking the time on her phone again. Nearly eight. Definitely time to go.

"Sorry, Mai. I've got someone waiting for me at home," she said.

"Alright, alright if you say so," huffed Mai in a mock hurt voice, "but I'll be expecting a phone call tomorrow. I'm leaving Fuka in a month and I want to squeeze in as much of my old classmates in as I can," she added with a smile.

Natsuki shook her head, "Well, I guess it can't be helped. I'll call you tomorrow." With that, Natsuki climbed into the backseat of the taxi and shut her door. She gave a small wave to Mai. Natsuki pulled out a small slip of paper and some money from her purse before handing it to the driver.

"Head to that address. The money should cover the expense." A grunt was the only response from the man. He started the car and drove off into the night. Natsuki pressed her forehead against the cool window and shut her eyes to the lights flashing by outside, recalling the events of the night each one by one as if they were rocks that she could pick up, and inspect, turning over and over.

The first one was an image of Mai when Natsuki arrived. She'd aged since she last saw her, but not necessarily in a bad way. Mai simply looked… older, more mature.

And still as busty as ever.

From the angle Natsuki stood, she was sure that Mai hadn't noticed her entrance quite yet. The red-head sat, twirling the straw in her drink idly, watching waitresses as they passed, no doubt reminiscing on the days when she wore the same outfit, performing that same job.

"How many?" Natsuki whirled her head around to gaze at a slightly overweight lady holding some menus.

"Huh? Oh," Natsuki nodded at Mai. "I'm with her." The hostess nodded and Natsuki strode over to Mai and sat down at the booth. Mai looked up at her and Natsuki grinned.

"So it's been awhile, huh?"

Brought back to reality by a rather sharp turn, Natsuki opened her eyes to the world passing by in front of her, heading down the street that led to her house.

_Almost home…_

Natsuki closed her eyes again, thinking about the things they'd discussed. People: Tate and Chie, Haruka and Yukino. Mikoto… Shizuru… Their jobs: traveling across the country, working regular hours at an office. Their lives: transporting from hotel to hotel paid for by her company, bound to Fuka. Their futures: envisionments of settling, dreams of moving…

Natsuki opened her eyes and gazed outside. _We should be getting there soon…_

"Here," Natsuki said as they began down a familiar street. "You can drop me off here." The driver once again grunted and stopped the car. Natsuki gathered her purse and exited the cab, waiting for it to drive off before starting off down the road. Her body moved on autopilot, having taken the path countless times before.

_Though all of the times were on my bike, _she thought grimly then wondered when she'd have the time to work on it. The weight of the dreaded proposal she put off from work that day suddenly became eminent in her bag. She'd have to work on that tonight. She mentally kicked herself for procrastination. Sounds around her drifted into her mind which barely comprehended as it whirled about from Natsuki inner thoughts.

Moments later, she arrived at her house. She didn't bother to search for her keys amongst the mess in her purse, but rather forcefully shoved the door, knowing it would be unlocked.

"I'm home," she projected flimsily to anyone who'd care and plopped herself down on the nearest couch. She shut her eyes and drifted into relaxation. _Finally home._ Within seconds, warm arms wrapped around her neck from behind and a smooth cheek slide across her own. Natsuki flinched briefly before melting into the embrace and leaning against the warm skin, taking in the familiar scent.

"Welcome home, Natsuki."

"Thank you, Sergay," she said in return and kissed her husband on the cheek.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**Heh. So. It was pretty long, eh? Please don't kill me for that ending, but don't worry, I'll clarify a lot of things in the next chapter. Yep. I'm doing a series here. Also, I'm sorry for throwing in so much crappy humor when Natsuki was at the office. That thought in itself seems humorous to me, so I couldn't resist. I'm confident that I got the necessary stuff across, so it didn't terribly suck.**

**Unless it did. And of course, if that's the case, by all means, tell me. I need a little feedback.**

**Also, some parts of it felt a little forced here and there, so any thoughts of how I could smooth it all out would be great. Actually, just review your little heart out cause I'm not exactly sure my roughly seven readers all loved it. Oh, and if you're going to review, please have the decency to write more than five words. I literally got a two word review once. "nice job" Yup. You know who you are.**

**But who am I kidding? Any review is much appreciated. Beggars can't be choosers…**

**-Dukky**


	2. Explanations

**Disclaimer:**** I still own nothing.**

**Sorry I haven't posted lately. I've had issues to attend to.**

**So it seems I have baited a couple readers due my story's strange pairings. Oh yes, and I do mean a couple, last time I checked my reviews. But I'm very glad that people are indeed interested. Also, I tweaked a couple small things in chapter one just to make more since. To clarify, I did NOT pair Chie and Tate together. Sorry if it looked that way.**

**Without further ado, chapter two.**

**Hey kids, that rhymed!

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Erstin awoke with a jolt. Her ears, so used to the still silence of the mansion, alerted her awake. Creaking of wood, slow footsteps, and soft murmurs made their way down the hall. By the sound of it, there were two voices, two sets of feet, which meant that someone was bringing a guest down the hall. Erstin froze at first, hoping, praying that the two would head into a different room, but a moment later, their destination was evident: here.

Instinct and fear rather her thoughts drove Erstin to finally move. She rolled off the bed and smoothed it quickly to make it look fresh and unused. In one quick motion, she grabbed the book and returned it to the shelf just as…

Oh God, they were just outside now, and Erstin realized she couldn't escape. Still, if she were caught here, if it were discovered she'd been _sleeping_ when she should have been working then she'd be fired. And that was something Erstin simply couldn't afford. She stood, petrified, her hand still pushing the book back into its place on the shelf.

_Kissing in the Rain._

As a hand closed around the doorknob and began to turn, Erstin moved, finally moved.

The door opened, its hinges squealing quietly. "Here we are, Miss. Your new bedroom." Aoi's voice was laced with sweetness as usual.

_New bedroom?, _Erstin thought. _She didn't say 'guestroom', which means…_

"Thank you." The second voice was serious and strong, but slight and definitely female.

"Does Miss need help unpacking her suitcase?" Aoi asked politely.

"No, thank you."

"Yes, Miss," Aoi returned. There was a pause here, and Erstin was sure that she was bowing, because in the next moment, she heard Aoi exit the room. The room was silent for a moment before she heard the girl walk across the room and sit on the bed with a light _poomf. _Erstin flinched and held her breath, directly under where the girl sat. She glanced quickly about her surroundings and decided to definitely clean under the bed the next shift.

* * *

Mai was the one that woke up to alarm clocks in the morning. Mikoto wasn't good with alarm clocks. She slept so deeply on most occasions, that the ringing never even phased her. In fact, Mikoto wasn't exactly good at waking up at all. She either needed the scent of Mai's cooking or Mai herself to wake her up, or she would sleep through the whole morning. So she didn't sleep anymore.

Mai's food was the best, and without it, Mikoto simply skipped meals because anything other than Mai's cooking was blasphemy to her. So she didn't eat unless she had to.

Mikoto never liked baths either, until she met Mai. Mai forced her into a bath when they first met, and that bath was actually… fun. Without Mai, it was just a bath. So she didn't bathe unless fully necessary.

It was all because of Mai. All of it.

Without Mai, Mikoto couldn't sleep, she couldn't eat, she rarely bathed. Without Mai, Mikoto was nothing. What she found most cruel, most terrifying was that she simply couldn't function without Mai…

…And yet Mai could so easily function without her.

Tousled black hair covered cat-like yellow eyes. Mikoto brushed the hair out of her face and opened her eyes as the sun peeked over the horizon. She yawned and stretched, but she hadn't been sleeping. That was something she quit a long time ago, and it was starting to show. She slid off of the still perfectly made bed and staggered to the window. She gazed out at the town , scanning the area, inspecting everything and everyone for short orange hair and violet eyes, a large bust, and a grand smile.

_Mai… I'm here, Mai. I'm here in Fuka._

Mikoto suddenly realized how thirsty she was. Hunger also left a dull ache in her stomach, yet she ignored it. She walked into the kitchen and ran the faucet, tilting her head underneath to catch some of the cool, streaming water on her lips. After drinking her fill, she splashed some of the water on her face and rubbed her skin, as if trying to feel refreshed after another night of deep thought.

On her way to back to the window, Mikoto caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. A mess of black hair resided on her head, two longer braids coming down the front. Her eyes were rimmed with dark circles as a result of a month and a half of sleepless nights and her face was pale from lack of nutrition. She groaned at the reflection, the small pale woman before her, but she knew she didn't care. She didn't care about herself, about her appearance, about her health if Mai was gone.

If Mai was mad at her_…_

_What happened to me?_

She shut her eyes tightly and clenched a locket around her neck.

_I didn't want to be like this, Mai. I didn't want to search this desperately for someone ever again. Not since Ani-ue. Not since…_

Mikoto shook involuntarily, letting a tear slide down her cheek. Her knees gave out and she collapsed, shaking into the floor, trying to hold fight the urge to cry.

"M-Mai…"

_I'm sorry, Mai…_

Finally, Mikoto cried out, sobbing, shaking, knowing she was absolutely nothing without Mai, she was dying without Mai, and yet she still wasn't mad at her. She still loved her so much.

* * *

"You… wait, what?" Natsuki's voice was becoming increasingly louder despite Sergay's desperate efforts to quiet his wife.

"You have to understand, she had nowhere else to go, and I've been planning on adopting Nina for awhile…" he said, all the while trying to shush her.

"And you didn't tell me? I thought I told you I didn't want kids," Natsuki growled, taking a step towards the poor man.

"Well, technically she's a teenager. Nina is fifteen…" Sergay shifted his weight uncomfortably, knowing that he should have expected such a reaction from his wife.

"A teenager? That's even worse!"

"Please, dear--"

"Oh no, don't 'please dear' me. You don't just adopt some kid without telling me! What the fuc--"

"My, my, is Natsuki throwing a fit?" Natsuki froze at the voice, directly behind her. Her mouth was still open from her interrupted yell and her finger was still poised, pointing accusingly at her husband. She knew who it was too, as if the accent didn't give it away. The only servant in the house allowed to address Natsuki in such an informal way…

Slowly and with intention, Natsuki dropped her hand, closed her mouth and turned to face the owner of the voice. "Shi-Shizuru." The woman stood, hands folded at her lap with a soft, amused smile on her face.

"Now, isn't it time for Natsuki's bath?" her maid offered in an infuriatingly calm tone. Natsuki mentally twitched.

"I-I was in the middle of discussing an important matter with my husband," Natsuki's tone was still slightly indignant, but noticeably lower.

Shizuru raised her eyebrows in mock wonder and looked over Natsuki's shoulder at a nervous Sergay. "Oh? Then doesn't Natsuki wish to be refreshed and clean to continue this discussion?" Natsuki could have sworn that Shizuru spoke the word "discussion" with a mocking tone as if she put mental air quotes around it. After a moment of thinking it over, Natsuki gave a defeated sigh.

"Alright," she allowed. Sergay mouthed a "thank you," over Natsuki's shoulder to Shizuru, but the woman only nodded once in recognition and smiled at Natsuki.

"Then, lead the way, Mistress." Natsuki glared at her briefly for using that teasing title, but complied, grumbling all the way to the bath.

* * *

Her phone vibrated, and she gave a sideways glance at it beside her. "New Text Message" was displayed on the main screen. Chie pulled her fingers away from her keyboard and opened the message.

"Sergay Wang adopted a teenaged girl, Nina. Natsuki Wang seems to be just now finding out," it read. Chie ran her tongue along her top row of teeth and scratched her neck. She mulled over the new information briefly then hit the reply button. Her fingers skillfully texted the response.

"All right, I'm interested. Anything other information? What's the girl like?" Chie sent the message and leaned back in her chair, waiting for a reply. It came seconds later.

"She's quiet and sort of shy. She seems to know Sergay Wang well enough because she came in holding his hand. She's also very cute. You'd like her." Chie smiled and put her quick fingers to work, typing out a response.

"Nice try, but you're the only one for me. I'll come flying for you at anytime."

The reply was quick: "Come on, leave that back at the newspaper, Chie-chan. Anyway, I'll send you all the information I can find out about it."

Chie blinked at the message and smiled. "Thanks, Aoi," she sent. She closed her phone and set it down, returning her attention to her computer monitor. She scanned over the article she'd been working on. _Screw new irrigation techniques, _she thought, _this is a hell of a lot better._

Chie open a new document and typed her title out first. She leaned back in her chair and inspected her work, grinning.

"LOCAL BILLIONAIRE ADOPTS TEEN BEAUTY: COULD IT BE MORE THAN FATHERLY LOVE?"

_God, I love journalism.

* * *

_

Nina laid back on the bed. It was soft enough, the pillows plump. The comforter was comfortable, and it was stuffed with goose feathers so she was sure it was warm. The white silk canopy that draped down the bed was gorgeous, elegant. A perfect bed. But it wasn't how she pictured _her_ bed.

She rolled over onto her side looking out of the window. It was a lovely view, though it was already night. The garden outside housed beautiful flowers, a path of rocks winding in and out of the thriving plants. A fountain similar to the one in the front gushed the clean blue water. Moonlight glistened on the waves of the luxury pool to the left of the garden. A perfect view. But it wasn't how she pictured _her_ view.

She sat up once more and inspected the room. Pleasant yellow paint adorned the walls. Shelves full of books were mounted to the wall near her bed. A chest of drawers resided against the corner adjacent to the window. The floors were wood, with a white rug beneath the bed. The perfect room. But it wasn't how she pictured _her_ room.

_Sergay's house… Father's house… is so much different from what I expected…_ Not to mention he was married. Nina stuffed her face into a pillow. _Idiot… did you really expect him to be single because of you? Did you expect to live with him in a one bedroom apartment and sleep next to him every night? Did you _really _expect that he'd consider you, not as a daughter, but as a…_ Nina stopped there, stopped torturing herself with thoughts any longer.

She gripped the pillow tightly and clenched her teeth. "S-Sergay…," she managed, but that was all she managed. Nina picked her head up and wiped her eyes, not allowing herself another moment of self-pity. She cleared her mind of all previous thoughts and went straight to work. Nina strode over to the chest of drawers and opened each empty drawer individually.

"I told Mai that if she felt so bad about it, then she should call her or something, but she said she had no idea how to get in touch with her."

"My, Natsuki's life is so exciting," Shizuru mused as she washed Natsuki's bare back in the swimming pool-like bath. Natsuki blushed, but she wasn't sure why. Shizuru simply had that effect on her.

_Much to her delight,_ Natsuki mentally groaned.

"And then when I got home, Sergay pulled this damn story of adopting that kid out of his ass."

"But doesn't Natsuki think it could be fun to have more people around this house?" Shizuru leaned forward so that Natsuki could feel her warm breath on the back of her neck. Natsuki flushed a deeper red, and she was instantly grateful that Shizuru couldn't see her face.

"I don't need anyone else here. I have you and Sergay already," Natsuki grumbled in response. Shizuru smiled at the back of Natsuki's head, knowing the dark-haired woman before her didn't understand how much it meant to her that she referred to her before Sergay. Shizuru had been hired as a maid when Sergay first got the house, but became particularly close with his wife. The two shared a close bond as friends rather than maid and miss.

"I'm sure Natsuki will come to be very close with Nina." Natsuki picked at her nails, unconvinced. "Besides, boarding school is an option. Fuka Academy?" Natsuki ceased the torture of her fingernails.

"That… could work. It would get the little squirt out of my hair for awhile," Natsuki growled.

"Natsuki is so mean. She hasn't even met Nina-chan," Shizuru smirked pleasantly. _Neither have you, _Natsuki wanted to say, but she held her tongue. A moment of silence passed between them.

"Oi, Shizuru," Natsuki addressed, her tone soft and thoughtful.

"Yes, Natsuki?"

"It's gonna be eight years soon, isn't it?" Shizuru's washing slowed to a stop. She regarded Natsuki from behind silently, waiting for her to continue. "You know, since I've met you."

Natsuki laughed softly, before continuing in a solemn, thoughtful voice. "Everyone thought we were too young to get married. Hell, we were still in high school. Not to mention Sergay hailed from such a wealthy family, while I was just an orphan..." Natsuki took a breath, gathering her words. "I was so stupid and naïve then, too in love to realize the consequences of marrying him… I didn't even suspect that the marriage would attract so much attention from the media. But why shouldn't it? There's no reason it shouldn't have. People thought I was only after the money. 'Young Wang Marries Young Wench'. The newspapers actually headlined that the day after the wedding.

"We got the house as a wedding gift from Sergay's parents, though I'm not sure they approve of me exactly. They seem to only like me for the idea that they'll one day have grandchildren, though I never wanted any. I didn't want them to go through the media hell I went through. Though now they've got their wish…

"I was sort of afraid of the house at first. It was so big, so ominous. But then I became afraid of leaving it. Every time I went out, even if it was just to run errands or go to school, the paparazzi would follow me, stalk me. It was terrifying to me.

"I locked myself in my room then. I couldn't even stand to be around _Sergay. _To think, our relationship, so strong before, began to collapse because of the stupid media. Then… I met you, Shizuru." Natsuki paused briefly, searching for an easy way to put the next bit into words. "Shizuru, you were the first one that came to me when I was unable to trust anyone, not even Sergay. Thank you for that. You saved me."

Shizuru blinked, stunned by the rare sudden sentiment from Natsuki. Slowly, a smile replaced her somewhat surprised expression, and she wrapped her arms around Natsuki from behind, placing a tiny kiss upon her cheek.

Natsuki flinched, surprised by the sudden contact, noting Shizuru's very naked front pressed against her own very naked back. "O-oi, Shiz--"

"I love you, Natsuki," Shizuru interrupted. "So whatever happens, I'll be there for you." Natsuki relaxed at those words. Satisfied, Shizuru released her from the hug. Natsuki turned her head around to face Shizuru just as she began to continue washing herself.

"Me too," Natsuki said. "I love you, Shizuru." Shizuru smiled warmly at Natsuki, but dropped the manufactured expression once Natsuki turned her head back around.

_But your love is different from my love.

* * *

_

Erstin chewed on her bottom lip, trying to think up a way to escape. She couldn't stay under the bed the whole night, could she? The other girl was still moving about the room, unpacking, Erstin presumed. But how much longer would she be there? Her heart pounded so loudly, she was certain it was audible, and the position she was lying in was… less than uncomfortable. Still, she had to stay very still in order to make sure her presence went undetected. Her mind quickly switched subjects, not wanting to dwell on her current situation or what might happen to her if she was caught.

"New bedroom," Aoi had said. Erstin wondered what that could have meant. It could have meant that the girl was a relative of one of the masters, a cousin maybe, come to live with them. She didn't sound too old, just about Erstin's age, so maybe she'd come to attend the school nearby, Fuka Academy, and live with the Wangs instead of having to pay the dorm fees. That was certainly plausible.

Three years ago, Erstin herself, after both of her parents suffered a fatal car crash, had come to Fuka hoping to be enrolled in the prestigious school and a first grade middle school student. When she found out about the enrollment fees, tuition fees, dorm fees, book fees, Erstin knew she'd need to find a job. One day, after being rejected from a job at a supermarket, she ran into Aoi. After hearing her predicament and sympathizing with her, Aoi revealed that there was a job opening as a maid in the Wang mansion and said that Erstin could work there until she raised enough money to actually attend Fuka Academy.

Application time for Fuka Academy came around, but Erstin's application was promptly rejected. Heartbroken that she was rejected by the school of her dreams, Erstin asked Aoi if she could stay and work at the Wang mansion full time. Aoi was reluctant to let a minor work full time at first, but after being reminded that Erstin had no place to go, agreed to let her stay.

_Maybe, _Erstin thought, _she's come to be a maid._ Though Aoi, Erstin, and most of the rest of the staff lived in the servant's corridor, there was a maid that lived in the main house. Shizuru was not only the one maid with the highest privileges (though _Aoi_ was technically the head maid), but was also said to be Natsuki-sama's best friend and advisor. Maybe this girl had come to be a maid like Shizuru, only to be _Sergay_-sama's advisor instead. She had heard the girl muttering his name informally before, much like the way Shizuru referred to Natsuki with no honorific, so it was quite possible.

Deep in thought on the matter, Erstin shifted her cramping legs unconsciously and bumped her knee against one of planks beneath the bed, resulting in a pained knee and a very audible _thump. _Shocked, Erstin snapped back to the present. That girl, maid or cousin or whatever, _must _have heard that. She focused on the sounds of the room. The footsteps of the girl had stopped fully. She'd ceased what she was doing.

_She heard me._

Erstin's heart pounded and she listened to slow, determined footsteps approaching closer, closer. Plain, black shoes were just in front of her now. A knee lowered, then another, then a hand. As the girl began to lower herself onto all fours to check under the bed and a blue braid came into sight, Erstin noted how soft the hair seemed, how much she wanted to reach out and touch it. She couldn't though, and even if she could, she wouldn't. Erstin was petrified.

And for the first time in Erstin's life, she prayed that she really _was _invisible.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**How do you like my second chapter?**

**Right, first things first: I hate myself in so many ways for making Mikoto so angsty there. Mikoto's like the best character ever, and she's always so happy. But seriously, if you think about it, she's not so out of character here. Think back towards some of the last episodes of Mai HiME when Mikoto missed Mai. She was pretty angsty right there, but if you take away her brother and make her older, more mature, what do you have?**

**My version of super-angsty Mikoto.**

**Natsuki seems a bit out of character, but I couldn't help myself. I'll continue working on it. Shizuru makes an appearance in this chapter, and I'm pretty happy about that. When I started thinking up this story, I had no idea that Shizuru would be Natsuki's servant/assistant or any of that. I honestly was having difficulty placing Shizuru in the story, and I was just going to throw her in towards the end thinking about Natsuki. **

**It was literally just as I was doing that bit where Natsuki was screaming at Sergay that I typed Shizuru's line without even thinking. After I finished, I leaned back, read over it, and went "DAMN, Duk, you're a genius." It solved my Shizuru dilemma, **_**and**_** fit in really well with the first chapter when Natsuki thinks about Shizuru "sitting at home, sipping tea, waiting for me" (when I first typed that, I was thinking "waiting for Natsuki to call her" or something). **

**Also, I did a LOT of referencing to both Mai HiME and Mai Otome here. I even took some things straight out of the dialogue. And of course, you know I love reviews.**

**-Dukerz**


	3. Sorry

Well! So this story is an absolute bust. I apologize. I should have committed more to this story, but everytime I went to sit down and write more of it, I was completely uninspired and couldn't write more than a couple words. I _might_ try to try to write more of it at a later date, but don't expect anything soon. I apologize to any of you who were anticipating an update, but it isn't likely. I am, however, writing something vaguely, possibly postable (if that's even a word), but again, don't get your hopes up. I hope no one's too upset, though I doubt it as it was... kind of implied but my complete lack of updates. Still, I felt it was necessary to close it up officially.

Thanks,

Dukerz


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